Machine for effecting relative movement between shoes and their lasts



Ot. 18, 1 938. A. PlcKFoRD MACHINE FOR EFFECTING RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN SHOES AND THEIR LASTS 'Filed Nov. 29, 1937 37 ILD# 43 l 45 f I 49 LI m |I gli 11 'n I I I I I I /I I I I I I I I 7/ |f\ fmII A. QI

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o. I/ l 3 j W5 F w EI \a9 1 ,V w W w 1 9 IIII IIIQFI\I\\ 1% IIIII IIVA\I.\| IIIII .\|I \I\ Patented Oct. 18, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MACHINE FOR EFFECTING RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN SHOES AND' THEIR LASTS Application November 291987, Serial No. 176,992 In Great Britain December 21, 1936 7 Claims.

This invention relates to machines for effecting relative movement between shoes and their lasts and is herein illustrated as embodied in a machine for separating shoes from lasts.

It is an object of the presentl invention to provide an improved machine for effecting relative movement between shoes and lasts with a minimum of efort on the part of the operator and without danger of damaging the shoes.

In accordance with the invention the illustrated last-pulling machine is provided with a block of yeldable material having a recess to receive the heel end of the shoe. This block is normally stationary and is arranged tobe pressed between the shoe and a constantly rotating roll. The block, which in the illustrated machine is composed of rubber, has frctional characteristics which cause it when thus pressed between the shoe and the roll to partake of the movement of the roll and in turn to impart movement to the shoe, raising the heel portion of the shoe 01T the last.

The invention will now be explained with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of the improved machine;

Fig. 2 is a view in front elevation of the improved machine; and

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line III-III of Fig. 1 showing the shoe-engaging member.

The supporting structure of the machine consists of a hollow frame I in the upper portion of which is journaled a shaft 3 driven in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 1 and carrying a roll 5. The shaft 3 may be driven by any convenient mechanism such, for example, as is disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 1,820,952, granted September 1, 1931 upon the application of John M. Whelton and Arthur S. Pym, and No.

1,882,083, granted October 11, 1932, upon the application of George A. Miner.

A last jack in the form of a swinging arm or lever 1 is fulcrumed upon trunnion pins 9 for movement toward and away from the roll 5. The trunnion pins 9 are carried upon a sleeve II which is adjustably secured upon another sleeve I3 journaled upon a pin I5 secured in the front I and is connected by parts similar to those described in the above-mentioned patents to Whelton et al. No. 1,820,952 and Miner No. 1,882,083 to a treadle 23, the arrangement being such that when the treadle 23 is depressed the lever 1 is swung (clockwise as viewed in Fig. 1) about the trunnion pins 9 toward the roll 5. The parts of the machine so far described are similar to the corresponding parts described in the abovementioned patents except that the roll 5, as will later be pointed out, may be of a different construction.

Secured by screws 25 to the lever 1 at each side thereof is an upwardly extending frame member 21 which comprises a stout metal strip bent into the form shown in Fig. 2. The frame member serves as a support for an intermediate shoeengaging member 29 which comprises a block of rubber or like resilient material. The block 29 has metal plates 3| and 33 respectively at its upper and lower surfaces and these plates are held together by rods 35 (see Fig. 3) which pass through the block and are fastened at each end to the plates. The upper plate 3| has also two rods 31 extending downwardly therefrom and passing through slots 39 (Fig. 3) formed in the horizontal cross portion of the frame member 21. Threaded upon the rods 31 above the slots 39 are nuts 4I. The block 29 is normally held in lowered position with the nuts 4I in contact with the frame member 21 by means of a tension spring 43 which at its upper end is connected to a hook on the plate 33 and at its lower end is connected to a hook 45 on the lever 1. The intermediate shoeengaging member 29 is normally located at the level seen in Fig. 1v so that when a shoe unit S upon a last is placed upon the last pin I1 the heelward end portion of the shoe unit is received within a V-shaped recess 41 (see Fig. 3) which is formed at the front surface of the block. The level of the block may be adjusted by turning the nuts 4I on the rods 31.

In operating the machine a last having a shoe S` thereon is mounted in inverted position on the last pin I1. The treadle 23 is then depressed to swing the arm 1 toward the roll 5. The heel end of the shoe enters the recess 41 and presses the rear surface of the shoe-engaging member 29 against the rotating roll 5. 'I'he guide slots 39 afford a limited freedom of movement of the shoe-engaging member 29 toward and from the last pin I1 sucient to enable pressure to be developed between the shoe and the walls of the recess 41 when further rearward movement of the shoe-engaging member is arrested by the roll 5. Pressure exerted through the treadle thus causes the shoe-engaging member 29 to be pressed between the shoe S and the roll 5, the pressure between the shoe-engaging member and the roll serving to develop suihcent friction to enable the roll to drive the block upwardly and the pressure between the shoe and the walls of the recess di' serving to develop sufficient friction to enable the shoe-engaging member to raise the heel end of the shoe off the last. The upward thrust of the shoe-engaging member will cause the last pin I? to be tightly cramped in the thimble hole of the last to hold the last against upward movement of the shoe. The operator may insure such cramping of the last pin by pressing downwardly on the toe portion of the shoe. After the heel portion of the shoe has been raised clear of the last the forepart can easily be removed from the last by hand. Upon release of pressure between the shoe and the shoe-engaging member the latter is returned by the spring 43 to its normal lowered position.

The frictional engagement developed between the shoe and the recessed rubber block above described is particularly effective because of the relatively great area of contact between the shoe and the block and. also because the walls of the recess, held from spreading by the resilience of the block and by the guide rods 31, embrace the sides of the heel end of the shoe with gripping pressure. The operation thus requires only a relatively light pressure between the shoe and the block, calling for a minimum ofeiort on the part of the operator and avoiding any danger of damaging the shoes.

rIhe machines disclosed in the above-mentioned patents are described as having rolls the outer portions of which are composed of rubber. The roll 5 of the machine illustrated herein may be composed of wood or other inexpensive material and is not only cheaper than a rubber-covered roll but lasts indelinitely. The frictional force developed between the rear surface of the shoeengaging block 29 and the wooden roll is amply sufiicient to overcome the resistance between the shoe and the last.

Furthermore, the machines described 'in the above-mentioned patents to Miner and Whelton et al. are provided with a mechanism, identified in the said patent to Miner by the reference numeral S6, for imparting to the last jack a slight movement lengthwise of the roll for each actuation of the treadle. rIhe purpose of this 4arrangement is to cause successive engagements to take place at diierent localities of the roll Vto prevent undue wear at any one portion. In the machine herein illustrated however, wear, either of the shoe-engaging block or ofV the wooden roll, is altogether negligible. Consequently the abovementioned mechanism for imparting movements to the last jack lengthwise of the roll may advantageously be omitted in the illustrated machine and the jack lever 'i arranged to swing toward and from the roll 5 in a single plane. In order to insure movement of the jack in a single plane there is provided a stationary pin t9 extending forwardly from the frame I and engaging aV slot 5l in the lever'l.

The resilient block 29, together with the rods 31 as a unit, may readily be removed by unscrewing the nuts Si and unhooking the spring 43, and a similar unit may be substituted. It is sometimes desirable thus to replace a block which has been used in operations upon dark-colored shoes to avoid the transfer of color to light-colored shoes.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A machine for effecting relative movement between a shoe and a last comprising a support for a last, a driven member, said support and said driven member being constructed and arranged for relative movement of approach with respect to each other, and a normally stationary block interposed between a shoe on the last and said driven member and having a recess to receive the heel end of the shoe, said block being constructed and arranged when pressed between the shoe and the driven member to partake of the movement of the driven member and by frictional movement of the shoe to move the shoe relatively to the last.

2. A machine for effecting relative movement between a shoe and a last comprising a support for a last, a block of yleldable material recessed to accommodate the heel end of a shoe on the last, means frictionally engageable with said block to move the block, and means for eecting frictional driving pressure between said block and said moving means to cause the block to be moved and also between the block and the shoe to cause the shoe to partake of the movement of the block and thus to move relatively tothe last on said last support.

3. A machine for separating shoes from lasts comprising a support for a last with a shoe thereon, a roll, a block having a recess to receive the heel end of the shoe, means for effecting frictional driving pressure simultaneously between said block and said roll and between said block and the heel end of the shoe, and means for driving said roll in a direction to cause the block to move the heel portion of the shoe oi the last.

4. A machine for separating shoes from lasts comprising a support for a last with a shoe thereon, a roll, a block of yieldable material interposed between the shoe and the roll and having a recess to receive the heel end of the shoe, means operating on said last support to press the shoe against said block and thereby to cause the block to press against said roll, and means for driving said roll to move the block frictionally in a direction to cause the block to move the rear portion o the shoe frictionally off the last.

5. A machine for separating shoes from lasts comprising a support for a last with a shoe thereon, a driven roll, a rubber block interposed between the shoe and said roll and having a recess to receive the heel end of the shoe, and treadle operated mechanism for moving the last support to cause the shoe to press against the rubber block and to press the rubber block against the roll, whereupon the roll will frictionally drive the rubber block and the rubber block will frictionally move the heel end of the shoe oi the last.

6. A machine for separating shoes from lasts comprising a last pin, a driven roll, an arm carrying said last pin and pivotally mounted for movement of the last pin toward and from the roll, a rubber block interposed between said roll and said last pin, a support for said block mounted on said arm, and means for swinging said arm to cause the heel end of a shoe on a last on said last pin to press against said block and to press the block against said roll, said blocksupport being constructed and arranged to enable said block to be moved by said roll, whereupon the block will move the heel end of the shoe oi the last.

'7. A machine for separating shoes from lasts comprising a last pin for supporting in inverted position a last with a shoe thereon, a driven roll, an upstanding arm upon the upper end of which is mounted said last pin and the lower end'of which is pivotally mounted for swinging movement of the last pin toward and from said roll, a rubber block interposed between said roll and said last pin, a guide on said arm, said block being slidably mounted on said guide for heightwise movement with limited freedom for movement toward and from the last pin, resilient means for holding said block normally down, a stop for determining the normal heightwise position of said block under the inuence of said resilient means, and means for swinging said arm toward said roll to cause the block to engage the roll and to cause the heel end of a shoe on a last on said last pin to press against the block, whereupon the roll will raise the block and the block will carry the heel end of the shoe upwardly off the 10 last. ALBERT PICKFORD. 

